Morning Joe - Kennedy Center board appeals order to remove Trump's name

Episode Date: June 12, 2026

June 12, 2026: 8am —  Kennedy Center board appeals order to remove Trump's name To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We have a deal that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, which was the whole purpose of what we had to go through to get this. It was a very big thing. But we have a signing soon, and the documents are in pretty final shape. So we'll see. We'll see. Very good. It should be done. That should be done pretty quickly.

And if it doesn't get done for any reason, which I can't imagine that not happening, they want to sign. as much as I do or more. I would say they want to sign it more, maybe a lot more. That was President Trump in the Oval Office yesterday, talking about the negotiations with Iran, very similar to what we've heard from him many times over the past three months of this war. And part of a pattern for the president threatened strikes, call off strikes, claim a deal is near, then nothing happens. We'll go through the latest reporting on what could be in this supposed agreement. Meanwhile, the president now has a nominee to become the permanent director of national intelligence. We'll bring you the reaction on Capitol Hill to his latest pick.

Plus, the president's hand pick board for the Kennedy Center is making a last-inch effort to keep his name on the Washington landmark. We'll have more about that effort just ahead. Good morning and welcome to morning, Joe. It's Friday, June 12th. We made it. With us, we have the co-host of our 9 a.m. hour, staff writer at the Atlantic, Jonathan Lemire. MS. Now National Affairs analyst, John Heilman, he's partner and chief political columnist at Puck, and editor at the insider, Michael Weiss is with us this morning. Good to have you all this morning. And we'll see in with the clip of the president talking about Iran saying they'll never have a nuclear weapon. It's in New York Times kindly a note in several days ago. That's something that the Iranians have

been saying now for 50 years. So again, this is a break. through that's not been a breakthrough because there's the same exact position again that Iran has taken for a half century. Yeah, and we've seen this pattern, as Mika pointed out, this is what the president does. He threatened these massive strikes yesterday and then back down a couple of hours later because he said the threat of the strikes brought Iran to the table. We now have a deal. He's been talking about a signing ceremony with Vice President J.D. Vance this weekend in Europe, to which Iran says, not so fast, we don't have a deal. And I would add also, Mika, Israel said we are unaware of any deal being brokered between the United States and Iran.

That's a problem. The thing is, though, John Lemire, how many times has this been? I read this morning that CNN had a banner last night that said something like, this is a 39th time Donald Trump has said peace is at hand. I mean, it just would exhaust even Evel Chamberlain talking about peace being at hand and peace not being at hand, but again, it's at least happened three dozen times. And my question is this, especially given what everybody knows about Iran, what we certainly have known about Iran since 1979, the more desperate any president seems for a deal, the more president goes out and says,

hey, we're very close to a deal. And allows the Iranians to say, no, we're not. We haven't seen it. We're not sure how close we are. We don't know if we even want this deal. It seems to just undermine The president, so is this about the markets? I know certainly a lot of people make a ton of money, betting, shorting markets. Somehow have information right before the president's going to say it. What is going on? Why does he keep doing this 36, 37, 38, 39 times? Yeah, a theme of this entire second term for President Trump, he likes to boast about how many wars he's ended.

Well, he's done this one 39 times, the same one. There is a sense here of a few things. Yet, undoubtedly, there have been moments where people have made some money off of his proclamations, and most of them timed to just before the market's open. That was not the case for this one. I think this one is just more of just his desperation to get out of this, that he's trying to almost will it in existence. And as you and Willie just ran through, not only is Iran saying no,

but Israel is also saying, we don't know anything about this. We're not sure this is a real thing. And that I think is the key here. Trump, we know he's looking for an off-ramp. He knows he wants to put this war behind us, behind him. He's well aware, even though he won't say it publicly, he is well aware, per reporting, that it did not go as they hoped it would. And he is trying to get the page turned.

But you're right. Iran sort of makes habit out of humiliating American presidents. We have seen it over the decades. And this is a case where no doubt their economy is hurting. You know, no doubt that there will be things they will need at some point. to end this or to bring some sort of ceasefire here. But they're willing to tweak the president a little bit more, and they're going to come out of this stronger than the war began.

Hardliners are empowered, Joe Amika, and, of course, they have shown they can close the Strait of Hormuz and suddenly, forget the nukes. That is their biggest weapon, the economic weapon they have, to shutting that vital waterway. Which is exactly what everybody's warned about since 1979. If you go into Iran, then Iran can shut down the Strait of Hormuz. And as Mek his own father said in 2012 to Charlie Rosen in an interview, they can't win a war against us, but they can shut down the strait and set the world economy on fire. That's exactly what's been going on. But again, I just want to underline the president to stop, start, stop, start, stop, start, stop, start.

A couple days ago, it was very obvious that negotiations weren't working. So the president then talked about doing some military strikes. It lasted today. The rainians unmoved. And so the president said, we're going to do it again the next day, pulls back. Again, that's stop, start, stop, start. That's exactly what the Iranians want. They believe it shows weakness.

That's what the Wall Street Journal editorial page was saying yesterday. So, again, it is confounding. Not only to those of us in the United States, but certainly confounding to people on Capitol Hill, confounding to people across Europe, confounding to people actually in Iran who, again, see that as weakness. It's a pattern that's very bad for the president politically because unlike maybe a lot of members of the Republican Party or some members of the media where the president can say something and sort of wave a wand and others will will it. Yeah. And others will parrot it. Iran looks at what he says and laughs. It's a different, it's a different entity completely. So here's how yesterday played out. President Trump once again threatened new military strikes on Tehran before announcing. He had once again called off the attacks. Since the U.S. and Israel launched the war in Iran back in late February,

the president has publicly delayed or canceled planned military action at least eight times. Trump claimed progress in negotiation as the reason for backing off the strikes yesterday. We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran. and we're going to be subject to finalization of documents. We should get done over the next few days. We probably have a signing maybe in Europe. And it's a great thing. All right.

The president offered a few other details, and he has claimed a deal could be imminent several times in recent weeks. Later last night, Trump put it like this. Quote, we ended the war with Iran today. Tehran, however, is at least publicly telling a very different story. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman told State TV that the country has not reached a final decision regarding any agreement. And no signing date is set. Axis meanwhile.

That just keeps happening. It just keeps happening. Yeah. Axis, meanwhile, has details of what is in the agreement. President Trump says he's ready to sign. According to a diplomat from one of the mediating countries and U.S. official, The Memorandum of Understanding would extend the ceasefire for 60 days, including Lebanon, during which time nuclear negotiations would be held.

On the Strait of Hormuz, the Key Waterway would be reopened immediately without tolls with the return to pre-war shipping volumes within 30 days. In return, the U.S. blockade would also be lifted. Iran would also be given temporary sanctions waivers to allow it to sell, oil for 60 days. Axis reports the tentative agreement was reached on Wednesday night after hours of negotiations between a Qatari mediator and Iran's foreign minister with the mediator coordinating by phone with Trump on voice Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner. Okay, I think we made Michael I say I think we made a mistake here. It's Friday people get tired and so I guess Alex just put in

an old script. Not an old script. Because we've read that 12 times before. And a couple new details, though, now. You have Netanyahu, obviously, is fighting for his own political life, being called a weakling, saying he follows Donald Trump around. He's getting hammered literally from the left, center, and right in Iran, even though the left, center and right in Iran is all sort of center-right right now, at the very

at least. But, but again, Michael, maybe you can give us some insight. Why do we keep hearing the same thing over and over and over again when the Iranians have rejected this deal time and again? And hardliners in America have rejected this deal. I mean, I just want to read you, Iran's mayor news agency put out their version of this deal. Now, again, underscore, we don't know that this is the thing that Axis is reporting. We don't know if this is going to be the memorandum of understanding. But in their version of the deal, they get $300 billion, in reconstruction money, $24 billion in a cash infusion, half of which will come before the negotiations begin. Remember, Joe, this isn't a deal. This is an agreement to keep talking, an extension of a ceasefire.

There's nothing in here, again, the Iranian version, that talks about the missile program or financing or arming terrorist proxies like Lebanesezbollah. I mean, this would be an utter humiliation. I could see why Trump would want J.D. Vance to go to a signing ceremony instead of Donald Trump, if this is any pale shade of what this thing is going to look like. Look, I think he knows he's being had. He knows he's been abased by a regime that shouldn't exist by his lights, right? We were going in to do regime change. The Israelis certainly thought we were going to do regime change. We were going to arm the Kurds. We were going to install a Madan Ajad, a Holocaust-denying former president, as our preferred satrap. All of these plans came to dust. And he just wants out of it.

I think Jonathan is right. You know, he's got buyer's remorse. He thinks he's been sold a bill of goods. He probably has been. And he just wants this thing over and done with. He's already looking at Cuba, right? But the problem is he can't sell this kind of thing. He can't sell it to his base.

He can't sell it to the Hawks? I mean, can you imagine Lindsey Graham on Twitter, if anything like what I just read you is the agreement here? I mean, this makes the JCPOA look like the Iraq War. I mean, this Donald Trump ran against Barack Obama saying he just, gifted all this money to Iran, pallets of cash. This is pallets of cash, probably with a little crypto action thrown in for the Whitkoffs and the Kushners on the side, too. I mean, I don't know how anyone can look at this. And I've been talking not only to hawks in this country, who are very

pro-war, I've talked to Israeli, national security strategists, former Israeli spies who tell me, this is a disaster for us. And why is it a disaster? Prior to this war, Israel had freedom of action, right? They get bombed. Iran launches a missile at them, a terrorist. blows something up. They don't ask our permission. They go in and they do what they have to. Now what happens? Donald Trump gets on the phone with every journalist and says, BB listens to me. I'm the big boy here. The Israelis don't lift a finger unless I allow them to. This is not what Israel wants. You know, this war for them, I think, has become like a pair of golden handcuffs. Yes, we help them bomb Iran. Yes, we help them, you know, get rid of at least most of the

missile program. The Iranians took a beating. They've taken a beating with the economic penalties imposed by this blockade. But now the Israelis feel like, you know, they oversold and underdelivered. And, you know, Bibi has a problem too at home. Israelis do not feel like they're getting value for dollar for this thing. So he's facing a political revolt in his country. Yeah, and there will be, obviously, John Heilman, a revolt in this country if those numbers are accurate. And I did notice that the president didn't talk about sanctions relief. He didn't talk about the so-called reconstruction dollars that he'd been talking about for quite some time. Just look at these numbers that Michael just talked about.

You're at about $325 billion that the Iranians would be paid just to go into negotiations for six months. I want to remind everybody the great meltdown. among all Republicans regarding Barack Obama's pallets of cash was $400 million. I want to underline this. Maybe somebody can tell me how much more, as far as multiplying goes, $325 billion is than $400 million, right? What is it? A hundred times more?

at least 100 times more. And let me, let me, this reminds me so much of when people were talking about the Biden crime family and the corruption that Hunter may have taken a trip on Air Force 2 once and introduced Daddy to a business partner when he was vice president, comparing that to what's going on now. Remember those days? Our, our Burisma, Hunter getting a $3 million fee, which he may have, I don't know, maybe made a million, a million and a half from it after it was all over, are selling his NFTs or, or, you know, selling his art for $50,000 or $100,000.

And now you've got $4 billion in personal wealth accumulated by the Trumps over the first 18 months of the second term. So, again, it's multipliers. And John, you tell me, who is going to support a plan that will give any reconstruction money to the Iranians, that will give any sanctions, relief to the Iranians, especially if it's $325 billion, which is basically just ransom money for them to stop holding the president and stop holding America hostage in this war. Well, I don't know about that, Joe. I think certainly there are going to be people on the right, as Michael said, who are going to be adamantly opposed to any such deal, although those people are so enthralled to Trump

that maybe they'll try to figure out some way to cloak. those payments and make them palatable, not to use a puny or about palates, but there are a lot of people in the Republican Party and a fair number of people in the Democratic Party who are desperate to bring this conflict to an end and so desperate because the politics are so bad for Republicans and because Democrats think that the war is so bad for the country and for the world that there may be people who are willing to accept this deal, these kinds of terms, those kinds, that kind of cash. Again, if it's dressed up in the right way, I've heard people saying from almost the outset of the war that in the end, this is how it would come to an end,

that there would have to be a bunch of reconstruction money that would go back to Iran and that it would be politically unpalatable, but that people would have to ultimately swallow it. I want to focus on one other thing, though, Joe, which is that the other thing we never hear about that's not discussed is now in all these negotiations that are not, there are deals that are not deals, memorandums of understanding that would create ceasefires and then push all the hard issues to later is a resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue, which after weeks of Donald Trump

not being able to explain why we'd gone to war in Iran in the first place, he finally decided, almost to a comical level, to settle on they cannot have a nuclear weapon, they cannot have a nuclear weapon, they cannot have nuclear weapon, he says it over and over and over again, and in every one of these deals that turns out to not be a deal, the nuclear issue is kicked down the road and to be negotiated later.

So the ludicrousness of Trump saying yesterday, we have ended the war when the largest issue, according to Donald Trump on the table, is that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, has never been addressed, has never been resolved, has never been negotiated, and it's still something we're going to talk about on another day, is thrown into even higher relief, the ludicrousness, that is, of that claim, which is not that, hey, we have a deal that I like, but that we've ended the war. That's what Trump said yesterday. We've ended the war.

We ended the war and not addressed the central reason that we supposedly went to war, According to Donald Trump, I can't imagine how that's politically palatable in any corner of the Republican Party, any quarter whatsoever. Coming up on Morning Joe, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joins us to discuss Democrats' priorities on Capitol Hill ahead of the midterms. You're watching Morning, Joe. We'll be right back. At least five states have declined to participate now in President Trump's Great American State Fair event, marking the country's 250th anniversary. Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Oregon all have withdrawn. Some states noting budget constraints kept them from the event, while others have been planning

state-specific celebrations. And officials from Oregon also noted there were concerns the D.C. event was becoming, quote, a more partisan affair than originally presented. The Freedom 250 Planning Committee said that even if officials from those states do not participate, all 50 states will be represented in some way at that fair. Another event marking the country's anniversary and the president's birthday, final preparations are underway for that planned UFC event on the White House South Lawn this weekend. Reporters were allowed inside the area yesterday for a preview of the octagon.

The South Lawn has been turned into a makeshift ultimate fighting championship arena with a massive 600-ton steel arch that's called the Claw. and stadium seating that will hold about 4,300 viewers. Seven mixed martial arts matches are scheduled for Sunday, which is Flag Day, and as I said, also happens to be President Trump's 80th birthday. Jonathan Lemire, when this idea was first proposed, I don't know, a year or so ago, some people kind of laughed it off, but here we are. That's a live picture.

The arena has been built. The octagon is in place. These fights will be taking place at the White House on Sunday. There's all kinds of quarts. corporate cross current here. You've got logos for crypto.com and polymarket and bud light there right on the ring as they would be at any UFC fight. You've got the president's personal investment in TKO, the company that runs the UFC. You've got David Ellison and Paramount Skydance winning the broadcast rights to it. There's just a lot going on at President Trump's

birthday party on Sunday. Yeah, it's just, first of all, let's just say it's an extraordinary surprise that President Trump would turn the 250th anniversary of the country into a true celebration of himself. No one saw that coming. And certainly the whole, all the events, not just Sunday, the events going forward, there is a real split. There was a bipartisan group that was supposed to organize the nation's birthday. And now it has been sort of pushed aside by a separate group, which is much more Trump-centric. And yes, I mean, the White House is not shy, though nominally this fight on Sunday is for the 250. The White House is not shy, acknowledging that it is about President Trump's birthday as well. And if you permit me, I wrote about this for a story that just

popped up on the Atlantic's website this morning. I'll take you back to November 2020 when when Joe Biden turned 80 and he really tried to downplay it. He knew there was already talk about his age. He spent that week, this is how he celebrated. It was a birthday brunch, Thanksgiving week between a family trip and his granddaughter's wedding. Very low key, he stayed out of the spotlight that week. President Trump, meanwhile, is building an illuminated octagon with a 92-foot portable canopy stage known as the claw where he and thousands of spectators will watch half-naked men brutally assault each other. So to each their own, I suppose. And I think it's representative of Trump, you know, focusing on just his own personal whims and legacy. The fact that he's turned 250

into a celebration of himself, that he's built this stage on the White House lawn, we go through it, the Kennedy Center, the East Wing, the Arch, et cetera, et cetera. He's doing what he wants to do in focusing a legacy, even at political cost to the Republican Party. Welcome back. President Trump's hand-picked Kennedy Center board has mounted a last-minute, last-ditch effort to keep his name on the facade of the famed performing arts facility before a court-ordered deadline to remove it by the end of today. The board voted yesterday to seek a stay of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper's ruling from May that says that Trump's name was illegally added to the venue. Hours later, Justice Department lawyers representing the center filed.

a notice of appeal challenging Judge Cooper's ruling. The board's move marks a shift from a memo to staff earlier this month from the Kennedy Center's Office of General Counsel saying that email signatures, letterhead, and other documents must reflect the name as simply the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts or just Kennedy Center. In addition to voting on this day, the board backed a resolution recognizing Trump's, quote, commitment to uphold this cherished American institution, a reminder that the Kennedy Center is the memorial to the slain president. Its name change can only be approved by an act of Congress by

law. We'll keep you posted. Coming up here on Morning Joe, President Trump now has a new nominee for the Director of National Intelligence. We're going to go through Jay Clayton's background and show you how he may have secured the nomination earlier this week. That's Straight ahead here on Morning Joe. I saw a woman being murdered. Oh, you need to tell us everything. Murder because of a broken love affair? Something's not right.

Does the police have any suspects? Me? Did you kill him? What? If there really is another victim out there... You need to move faster. We have a confession. From a dead man.

Hands are tied. Then you have my resignation. What are you going to do now? I... I'm going to work with you guys. No. No. We're consulting with this date pathologist.

I'm picturing a fat little man who smells of formaldehyde. Thank you so much for agreeing to meet me. Yeah. I wouldn't come any closer. I've seen the dead body before. Plenty in fact. I'm still of no idea if or when this killer is going to strike again. You could go undercover.

Hello! Killer is obviously onto you. We've never met anyone so sure he's going to get away with murder. Time is not on our side. Oh! That was the look at season five of Harry. Wild, the hit Irish Mystery Series starring an executive produced by Emmy and Golden Globe, award-winning actress Jane Seymour.

In it, Jane plays Harriet Harry Wilde, a retired university literature professor who turns her sharp intellect, quick wit, and talent for reading people into an unexpected second act as a crime solver. In the new season, which premieres June 22nd on Acorn TV, Harry and her team take on their most dangerous and complex cases yet. And Jane Seymour joins us now to tell us more. Also here for the conversation, MS now contributor Huma Abidine, who is vice chair of the Forbes and Know Your Value 30-50 Summit,

which we have news on coming up very soon. So Jane, it's so great to have you on Morning Joe. You're now five seasons into playing Harry Wild. tell us about what drew you to the character, how she's evolved, and what keeps you excited about playing her? Well, when I first read the script, I just, I went, oh my gosh, I have never seen a show like this. I've never seen a relationship between an older woman who's an intellectual

and this young kid who doesn't want to go to school who end up becoming a crime, you know, solving crimes together. And, you know, he's from the dark side of Dublin. from the intellectual world and between us, we do it. It's very comedic. Rowan Hann Ned is fantastic to work with. It's something you've never seen before. We don't usually see contemporary Dublin,

and the plots are amazing and they're really bizarre, but the great thing about it is, when we find out who did it and why, we actually care, which I think is really cool, too. So I'm just thrilled to have this at this time in my life, and people are loving Harry Wilden. I love her. She's just, you know, I think she's a kind of work

and an older woman would fantasize about being. Well, speaking of people loving this character, the season also reunites you with Joe Lando, your co-star from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. What was it like working together again? And why do you think people are so invested in this particular partnership? Because you smile the minute that door opens

and you see his face and her expression. I think it was brilliant casting on their part. They wanted to have a romantic interest there for Harry. And we've had some other ones, but they wanted this, and they wanted Joe for a while. And he did not disappoint. I mean, they've gone nuts. They just said, oh, my God, the chemistry. I mean, you're like sizzling up the digital, if you can. He's just wonderful to work with. And we've known each other now for 35 years. So it's seamless. So it doesn't matter what characters we play, there's this kind of, it's like playing tennis with a pro, you know? And

And it's a great character that he plays. And he's really funny. And we just know another's timing. You see it and you feel it and it comes across on the screen. But one of the things that we also talk about it, know your value, is reinvention and the power of making that pivot at a certain period in your life. She goes from being an academic, a retired professor, to all of a sudden shifting

to being an investigator. Talk about, you know, what you think opportunities come out of making these shifts, particularly that point in your life. I think it's incredibly important because life is never static. I always tell people, you know, you just pivot. You know, suddenly something changes. Everyone's afraid of it change. I mean, no, this is actually an opportunity to learn about it and find,

how can you make that work for you? And I think what Harry does is a perfect example. She's never been married and she's not going to get pregnant. She already has a son. So, you know, she can be romantically involved. She has an intellect. She knows how to figure things out. She also knows how to pretend to be a little old woman not to be afraid of.

And she's fearless. So she pivots to another career. She pivots, but also there's a confidence. Oh, yes. And we were talking just earlier about being of the Songwriters' Hall of Fame last night and with Taylor Swift and a whole crew of young talent. Extraordinary talent. Tell us, you know, what is it about confidence at this character shows that other young women can learn from? Well, Taylor and all of them?

Well, just generally. Just generally. Yes, as an example for the audience. From the songwriters and from hanging out with Taylor, who, by the way, completely, I wanted to meet her. She went, oh, my God, I feel like I've known you forever and ever. My grandchildren are literally dying over the fact that Taylor Swift, not only knew me, but apparently liked their grandmother a lot. Their confidence is that they're authentic.

Okay? Whatever comes out with AI and the rest of it, everyone's going to want authentic. and what they all had in common, all these songwriters, Kenny Loggins, I mean, all of them, they were just, it's about the pain they've been through. It's about the journey they're on. And the more honest they are about it, the more we relate,

and the more we realize that we're on the journey, we're not Taylor Swift, but we've had our hearts broken, you know, Alana Morissette, we've been left and betrayed and things and whatever. I mean, I was just so empowered last night, and thinking to myself, how important it is in terms of mental health that the arts show us a way to actually connect. And that's why I get excited about what I do for a living. And in my non-profit thing with the Open Hearts Foundation, we're really focusing right now on mental health in America where the arts can really help.

And I think when you see it at the highest level, you just go, wow, that's the clue. You know, we're all one. We're humanity. We're in this crazy world. Absolutely. All right, I want to ask, I know your value question that I ask all of our 50 over 50 years. And that is, when you were in your 20s, Jane, or even early 30s, how did you envision your career after the age of 50? Did you have a vision for it after the age of 50?

Well, first of all, I thought I was just going to be in the chorus of, you know, dancing badly. So my whole career was this amazing surprise. But no, I definitely didn't. In fact, you know, really the sell-by-date for actresses, usually, eating ladies is 40. But that's when I got Dr. Quinn. So I broke that ceiling. And then, you know, I've kind of, I do theatre. I do film.

I do television and radio. I public speak. I write books. I do art. I can watch her this weekend. So I realized, I didn't ever imagine I'd have the career I have right now. But I think, you know, if there's anything that I can tell people, it's don't just. think about doing it, do it.

You know, what's the worst that can happen? That people go, nope, we don't like it. Or you never know. You just might connect and it might work. But do it for yourself. I mean, I act because I love it. I write and I've just done my autobiography. It's coming out next year.

And I did deep dive into who I am. And I realized that literally from the age of 10, I was fairly unstoppable. You know, someone said, do you, does anyone want to? Everyone go, oh, no, no. And I go, yeah, me. Like, even if I didn't know how to do it, I figured it out. And that's what Taylor and everyone, you know, taught me last night.

That's the confidence of just knowing that your own best is okay. I love it. I really love the message that we send to younger women who may have, like, the thoughts we had, they don't see anything after 50. Oh, no, we've paved a long runway. There's so much time to succeed and enjoy and be in the moment. It's just great. Well, life is incredibly valuable.

Thank you. Yes. Yes. And time is. Jane Seymour, thank you so much for coming on the show this morning. Congratulations on yet another success. The fifth season of Harry Wilde will premiere Monday, June 22nd, exclusively on Acorn TV. And Huma, thanks to you as well.

We always love having you here. Still ahead on morning, Joe, some Trump supporters are now expressing regret about their vote. last fall will show you their emotional pleas to the president. Morning Joe is back in just a moment. Breaking news from the White House where President Trump has just called off his threat to bomb Iran tonight. He quote, understands that the Supreme Leader of Iran has approved of a deal to end the war with Iran. With the straight wall officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe. I won't be able to be there.

Going to the ceremony you just invented. That's more important than ending of war. Donald Trump will ring in his 80th birthday with a UFC cage match on the White House lawn. Well, yes. Makes sense, okay, because peace in the Middle East is one thing. But a UFC fight is obviously more important, you know? It's like how Franklin Roosevelt missed the end of World War II to be at WrestleMania. FDR there.

Our friends of the Daily Show, thanks for that. Coming up here on Morning Joe, President Trump is once again promising a deal with Iran, claiming the new regime wants to make a deal more than he does. We'll fact check that and dig into what could be in that agreement. Plus, House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries is our guest. We have a lot to cover with him from the war in Iran to the affordability concerns for millions of Americans as we move closer to the midterms. Plus, I suspect the next will come up.

That's all straight ahead here on Morning Joe.